Polycarbonate roofing panels are well known in the building and construction arts. They are relatively lightweight, strong and translucent, providing a passive form of solar heating and lighting. They are used in domestic, industrial and commercial building applications. Prior art polycarbonate roofing panels are supplied in varying thicknesses up to 30 mm, and up to 6 m in length. For some specialized applications they can be purchased up to 12 m in length. However all prior art polycarbonate sheeting requires additional steelwork for support, and this introduces undesirable aesthetic constraints from an architectural and design perspective.
The present invention was developed with a view to providing a building panel and system which fills a gap in the building and construction industry, namely, a cost-effective polycarbonate system with long span capability. However it will be apparent that the building panels can also be manufactured from suitable materials other than polycarbonate.
References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.